-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- North Korea defended Thursday its right to explore outer space after reports that a rocket , believed by the United States to be a long-range missile , had been positioned on its launch pad .

Replicas of South and North Korean missiles are displayed at the Korea War Memorial in Seoul .

North Korea recently informed a pair of U.N. agencies that it plans to launch a satellite . The launch is believed to be slated for sometime between April 4 to 8 , according to Yonhap , South Korea 's state-sponsored news agency .

North Korea 's announcement has triggered international consternation . U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the North is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch .

Pyongyang lashed out against critics on Thursday in a commentary reported in the state-run KCNA news service .

`` This is nothing but a groundless outcry of the political philistines ignorant of any legality of the study of space science for peaceful purposes , '' the commentary said .

`` Outer space is not a monopoly of a few specified powers but an asset common to mankind and the space development is promoted worldwide at present . '' Should anyone have the right to explore space ?

The United States has no plans to shoot down the North Korean rocket , U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday in an interview with CNN 's Jill Dougherty , but will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council if Pyongyang carries out a launch .

`` We are doing our best to dissuade the North Koreans from going forward , because it is provocative action , '' Clinton said . `` It raises questions about their compliance with the Security Council Resolution 1718 . And if they persist and go forward , we will take it up in appropriate channels . ''

North Korea is technically capable of launching a rocket in as little as two to four days , according to Kim Taewoo , an expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses , but who doubts a launch will come that soon .

It would not make sense for Pyongyang to make such a move after going through official channels with its plans , Kim said .

`` The North could delay the launch if they experience problems with the weather , or within the leadership , but I do n't see any reason why they would fire it ahead of time , '' Kim said .

What the North Koreans would be testing may not be known until an actual launch , U.S. officials have said .

A U.N. Security Council resolution in 2006 banned North Korea from conducting ballistic missile activity . Japanese officials said they could shoot down the object whether it is a missile or a satellite .

`` As the U.N. resolutions prohibit -LRB- North Korea -RRB- from engaging in ballistic missile activities , we still consider it to be a violation of a technical aspect , even if -LRB- the North -RRB- claims it is a satellite . We will discuss the matter with related countries based on this view , '' Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said this month .

South Korea echoed Clinton 's statements .

`` The South Korean government believes that if the North conducts its launch despite continuous warnings of the South Korean government and the international community , it is a provocative action that constitutes a serious threat to the security of northeast Asia and the Korean peninsula , '' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young . `` The launching of the long-range rocket is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1718 , and we strongly urge North Korea to immediately stop such measures . ''

The North Korean Taepodong-2 missile is thought to have an intended range of about 6,700 kilometers -LRB- 4,200 miles -RRB- that -- if true -- could strike Alaska or Hawaii .

-- CNN 's Pam Benson contributed to this report .

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N. Korea : `` Outer space is not a monopoly of a few specified powers ''

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North Koreans have said they intend to launch a communications satellite

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U.S. Secretary of State Clinton says U.S. has no plans to shoot rocket down

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Taepodong 2 rocket could launch either a warhead or a satellite